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Curd Nerd Academy Now Open

14/02/2019 By Gavin Webber 3 Comments

Finally, I’ve done it! I made my first online cheese making course, the Curd Nerd Academy.

Recently I worked diligently on producing an online cheese making course so that I could share my cheese making skills globally and not just locally here in Melbourne, Australia. Local classes were just that, confined to my local area and people had to travel many kilometres to attend them. It also inhibited people outside my area from learning the necessary skills to make their own cheese at home.

So I am glad to announce that the Curd Nerd Academy Beginners cheese making course is now available to enrol in.

By the end of the course you will be able to make nine amazing cheeses in your own home and have a thorough the knowledge of the cheese making process.

Here is a video teaser that I created that has more information.

So for those of you who are interested, you can look at the full course curriculum at courses.littlegreenworkshops.com.au.

I hope to see you in the Curd Nerd Academy!

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Filed Under: Workshops Tagged With: Workshops

Why Salting Cheese Is Essential In Cheese Making

18/10/2017 By Gavin Webber 3 Comments

Salt is an essential ingredient in cheese making.  Not only does it add flavour to the cheese, it helps to dry the curds during draining by controlling whey expulsion and causing the curds to shrink.  However, the primary reason for salting cheese is to retard or halt the bacteria cultures continuing to convert lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid.

It will help to kill harmful bacteria and other fungi growth when used as a brine for salting after pressing or as a simple wash during maturation.

Salting is also essential in the development of a natural rind.

Salting Cheese

Once the cheese is ready to be pressed or has been pressed, salting cheese can be achieved in one of three ways:

  • Dry Salting – rubbing salt over the entire surface of the cheese (used for mould ripened cheeses like Camembert),
  • Milling – adding approx 2% salt by weight to the curds just before adding to the mould/basket and pressing (Cheddar-style cheeses),
  • Saturated salt brine solution – A mixture of salt and water are mixed together and the cheese is left submerged for a given length of time (most other semi-hard and hard cheeses).

Making Brine

Common brine solutions that are commonly used in cheese making based on the percentage of salt saturation as shown in the table below:

The table only goes to 26% as at 26.395% brine is fully saturated (at 15.6°C) and additional salt will not dissolve in the water.  The table below is at standard conditions of 15.6°C/60°F. When using salt for cheese you should only use non-iodized salt.
% NaCl Salt kg NaCl Salt / litre Water pound NaCl Salt / US gallon Water
0 0 0
2 0.0204 0.17
4 0.0417 0.347
6 0.0638 0.532
8 0.087 0.724
10 0.1111 0.925
12 0.1364 1.136
14 0.1628 1.356
16 0.1905 1.586
18 0.2195 1.828
20 0.25 2.082
22 0.282 2.349
24 0.3158 2.63
26 0.3513 2.926

 

For most of my brined salted cheese, I use an 18% solution which is commonly known as a fully saturated brine.  Although the salt content of the brine can be higher, I find this amount of salt to be perfect for Salting cheese.  It provides adequate salt absorption during the brining process.

Here is a video tutorial I made that shows how to make and test an 18% brine solution for cheese making.

Additionally, have a listen to this podcast episode where I talk about brine.

Testing Your Brine

Note the use of the raw egg to ensure that you have reached the correct saturation.  If it floats and about a 2cm circle is above the surface, then the brine is at about 18% saturation.  Make sure you add a Tablespoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of calcium chloride to balance the pH to approx 5.3.  This ensures that your cheese will not become slimy during brining due to calcium ion exchange between the brine and the cheese.  You may have to use pH testing paper to measure the pH of your brine.

Reusing Brine

You can reuse your brine solution many times.  Make sure you top it up with at least 2 Tablespoons of salt after you remove your cheese to replace salt absorbed by the cheese wheel.  Store it at 13°C/55°F to reduce any mould growth.

Salting Cheese - Feta in brine
Feta in an 18% Brine Solution using leftover whey as the liquid.

What Type of Salt Should I Use?

Basically cheese salt is normally a non-iodized salt.  It is the non-iodized part is the critical factor when it comes to cheese making.

Iodized salt though won’t help your cheese at all, as the iodine in the salt inhibits the cultures and bacterias you WANT in your cheese.  Fine sea salt or flakey kosher salt will be fine, but remember that not all salts weight the same as shown in this salt video.

I tend to use fine grain non-iodized salt (dairy salt) without an anti-caking agent for all my cheeses.  It works perfectly fine for the home cheese maker.

Summary

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of salting cheese and how important it is to get it just right.  Too little and unwanted bacteria or moulds may infect your cheese and too much makes it inedible.  Who would have thought that this simple compound was so essential to cheese making!

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Filed Under: Recipes, Workshops

Heating Milk for Cheese Making

20/02/2017 By Gavin Webber 2 Comments

I’ve had many questions asking me how I control the temperature of the milk during cheesemaking. Well, let me show you two easy methods that work like a treat!

 

There is also another method that I didn’t mention in the video.  There is a new product on the market called an Anova Precision Cooker.

Anova Precision Cooker

You can place this device into your kitchen sink, fill the sink with water, and put in your cheese pot.  The precision cooker then controls the water temperature creating a water jacket or pseudo double boiler.

You can pick one up here in Australia, or here in the US or Canada.

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Filed Under: Hardware, Workshops

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Podcast Reviews

  • Perfect for Cheesemakers of all levels!
    by Viki Leeasa from Thailand

    I love that this podcast does not just have helpful tips and tricks on cheese making, but also stories and news from the cheese world, as well as nice little anecdotes from the host. A big fan from Thailand!

  • If you think you want to make cheese, listen to this!
    by paulsaw from United States

    Gavin Webber’s Little Green Cheese is By Far the best podcast I have ever heard! A truly informative and quality production!

  • Great program
    by p37dg9q14 from United States

    Very informative and enjoyable podcast. I started at episode 1 and currently listening to 25. I’ll be giving cheesemaking a go in the next week. Mike J from Oceanside CA

  • Great podcast
    by nicole_elias from Australia

    I have a long commute to and from work and have worked my way through the back catalogue of these podcasts. Enjoyed every one of them and hope for many more to come. Thanks Gavin! Keep up the great work. Cheers, Nicole

  • Excellent!
    by emeldridge from United States

    Looking to take up cheesemaking sometime soon and this channel has provided all the information necessary to get started!

  • Great Resource!
    by olivestones from United States

    I have been learning to make cheese for the past year. Gavin's podcast and video series has been a tremendous resource for me. His love for the cheese-making craft is evident in the amount of research he will perform in order to answer a listener's cheese question. All thumbs up for the amount of time and energy he puts into his quality podcast! ...And he cracks me up with his attempts at pronunciation!

  • Outstanding Info on Cheesemaking!
    by Sablwolf from United States

    If you are interested in anything to do with cheese, this is the podcast for you. Host Gavin Webber takes you through an aspect of cheese making, interviews with other people who are doing it, a current cheese-related news segment, and answers questions listeners have submitted in each episode. I've been quite amazed at his depth of knowledge, and he's provided answers to several problems I've encountered as well. Top rate!

  • So great!
    by jimjiminyjim from Canada

    Absolutely fantastic. My favourite cheesemaking resource out there. Listen from episode one, and by the time you’re done, you’ll have learned as much or more than you might at a professional cheesemaking intensive.

  • Fantastic podcast to compliment your YouTube videos and website
    by Paul from Brisbane from Australia

    Thanks Gavin. I have learnt a lot about cheese making from your podcasts which compliment your YouTube Videos and cheese book. Thanks

  • Super interesting!
    by Lenka S from Australia

    Gavin's podcast is so interesting and informative, he knows so much about home cheesemaking and he shares his knowledge with his listeners and answers listener questions on the show which is also extremely helpful! I am listening to them all for the second time and finding lots of new useful pieces of information. There are also interesting bits of cheese news from around the world. Thank you Gavin!

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